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Queen Elizabeth Just Performed an *Extremely* Important Duty This Morning

Queen Elizabeth is officially back to royal business. Her Majesty just opened a new session of Parliament for the 67th time. Yes, you read that correctly.

On Tuesday, the 95-year-old, accompanied by Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, attended the State Opening at Westminster. According to the Royal Family’s website, the opening is “an event steeped in tradition” and is the only regular event “to unite the three elements of legislature—the House of Lords, the House of Commons and The Queen—together as the Crown in Parliament.”

Elizabeth, who looked chic in a lavender dress and matching hat (a casual ensemble compared to her usual ceremonial dress), sat on the throne while her son and his wife were seated a few yards to her left. During the event, Liz addressed both Houses in the Queen's Speech, a document written by the government, outlining plans and future legislation.

Not only did the event mark the queen’s first official engagement outside of Windsor Castle since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, but it was also the first time that both Prince Charles and Camilla sat in for the Duke of Edinburgh at the State Opening. Although Prince Charles and Camilla usually attend the event, the last few years it was solely Prince Charles who acted as her consort for the event.

“Her family will step up and be by her side, but she will carry on,” a former palace aide previously told People. “She understands that she has a job to do, and [Philip] would have wanted her to crack on. She did do so when he retired from public life.”

Good to see everyone back in action.

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